Question for written answer E-001311/2021/rev.1 to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Rule 138 (S&D), Maria Arena (S&D), (S&D), Brglez (S&D), (S&D), Pierre Larrouturou (S&D), César Luena (S&D), (S&D), Raphaël Glucksmann (S&D), Nacho Sánchez Amor (S&D), (S&D), (S&D), (S&D), (S&D)

Subject: Conviction of the Palestinian human rights defender Issa Amro

Youth Against Settlements is a Hebron-based group that opposes illegal Israeli settlement expansion by organising peaceful protests and documenting human rights violations perpetrated by Israeli forces and settlers.

On 6 January 2021, its founder, Issa Amro, was convicted on six counts, including those of ‘participating in a rally without a permit’, ‘obstructing a soldier’, and ‘assault’. On the same day, United Nations experts issued a statement condemning his conviction1.

Mr Amro has continuously been subjected to arbitrary arrests and detentions, death threats, ill treatment and movement restrictions over the past several years. Amnesty International has asked Israel to drop all charges against him, as they consider them to be ‘politically motivated and linked to his peaceful work in exposing Israel’s human rights violations’2.

1. What tangible measures has the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy taken to ensure that Israeli authorities will put an end to all forms of harassment, including at the judicial level, against Mr Amro and all other human rights defenders in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory?

2. How does he aim to ensure that all judicial proceedings against Mr Amro are carried out in full compliance with the right to a fair trial, as recognised by international law?

1 https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26688&LangID=E 2 https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/01/israelopt-drop-politically-motivated-charges-against- palestinian-human-rights-activist-issa-amro/

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